1-800-255-1147

In our September NEWSLINE, I wrote about WCB’s concerns about administrative changes at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL). Since that time, WCB, along with NFB of Washington has met a number of times with Seattle Public Library staff, with welcome results. In October Deborah Jacobs, Director of the Seattle Public Library (SPL) system, announced that the position of Director of WTBBL was being established. In November, she announced that Gloria Leonard, a member of SPL’s administrative staff, will serve as acting WTBBL Director until a permanent replacement can be found. A nation-wide search for a director is being conducted. Our congratulations to SPL administration for listening to the consumer organizations and re-establishing the WTBBL Director position. Our next quest is to help find a WTBBL Director who understands the importance of the Talking Book and Braille Library to its borrowers statewide, and who will be vigilant about making sure that the library maintains the services that we as blind citizens of Washington want. The Washington Council of the Blind is proud to have made a difference for users of WTBBL. Thanks to Cindy Burgett, Sue Ammeter and Sharon Keeran for their work on behalf of blind borrowers.

On another related front: It is budget time for our state service agencies. The Washington Council of the Blind is planning to be active in its education of legislators and other elected officials regarding maintaining budgets for the State School for the Blind, the Department of Services for the Blind, and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library. The Governor has asked all state agencies to submit a budget with their services prioritized into three levels. If the Governor’s office, or the Washington legislature while facing a possible $3 billion deficit, asks state agencies to eliminate those services that have been designated as third level, blind kids, blind adults seeking rehabilitation services, and blind people who use the library will see a very noticeable change in what services are available. We could see an elimination of the residential campus of WSSB. We could see DSB adopt a system of priority for who will get served. The library could drop its Radio Reading Service, or its recording programs that give us local books by local authors.

The above is speculation on my part, but you get the drift. We must be vigilant to make sure we don’t lose our hard-won services.

It was wonderful to see so many of WCB’s members and guests at our 2002 convention in Kelso in October. It was our largest convention ever. You will read elsewhere in this NEWSLINE about the convention, but I want to take this opportunity to thank Cindy Burgett and all of the members of the convention committee, as well as the Lower Columbia Council of the Blind host chapter, for their time and efforts to produce such a successful WCB event. Our convention in 2003 will be at the Downtown Doubletree in Spokane.

WCB wants to extend a big welcome to the Yakima Valley Council of the Blind. The president of this new affiliate is William Smedley. The YVCB was accepted as a WCB affiliate at our October convention (see article in this issue).

WCB is very proud to co-sponsor one of the summer educational programs at the Washington State School for the Blind. We will provide $10,000 to re-establish the six-week summer educational program for 1st to 8th grade students that had to be dropped a couple of years ago because of budget problems. Superintendent Dr. Dean Stenehjem has said that WSSB will convert WCB’s contingency funds into a full operating program.

Finally, I want to welcome the new WCB officers for 2003: Julie DeGeus, Second Vice President; Frank Cuta, Secretary; and board members Steve Heesen, Glenn McCully, and Shirley Taylor.

At the same time, I want to thank the outgoing 2002 board members: Ann McCay, Secretary; Kay Bohren, board member, and Gary Burdette, board member.

Editor's Comment
by Peggy Shoel
A Pertinent Potpourri

I want to mention the following four items for your general interest:

Item #1 - In our last Newsline issue (September 2002), audio cassette tape readers were treated to the voice of an additional narrator. Sherrill Lee resides in Burbank, a suburb of Pasco, and has been for some time a volunteer reader for that area’s local paper. She joined our long-time anchor reader, Brady Layman, a resident of Kennewick. She told me she enjoyed the experience very much and would like to continue working with Brady on future Newsline issues. Thank you, Sherrill, for your interest in WCB and for your volunteered time. And thank you, Brady, for your ongoing interest and for your many many hours of quality volunteered time.

Item #2 - Tim Schneebeck, WCB member, living in the Seattle area, has managed our Newsline email distribution since the inception of this service. He has been receiving back a significant number of notices indicating delivery failure. Tim’s policy is to make a second attempt within a few days. If there is a repeat notice of delivery failure, he deletes the address from his email distribution list. If you have requested receiving the NEWSLINE via email and have not been getting it, or if you wish to begin getting your NEWSLINE via email, please contact him directly at tvschnee@eskimo.com. Thank you, Tim, for your longstanding volunteered efforts on our behalf.

Item #3 - With the addition of the Yakima Valley Council of the Blind to our roster, our organization now boasts 15 statewide chapters. Yet we receive very few chapter updates submitted for NEWSLINE publication. Personally, I look at chapter updates as a form of outreach and a membership recruitment tool. Remember, word of mouth is an effective method of communication. A NEWSLINE reader may know of an individual relocating to your area or of an unaffiliated person already residing there, and can pass on information about the existence of your group. The NEWSLINE is a quarterly publication - why not consider submitting two chapter updates per year? You could receive a good return on your investment.

Item #4 - Not all blind-related issues, challenges and activities are equally relevant to individuals in all the geographic areas of our state. There is a place in the NEWSLINE for significant regional information. It is a good thing for us to know what is going on, what is not going on, and what you think should be going on in your own backyard. A brief article or blurb would put NEWSLINE readers "in the know."

May we all experience a healthy, peaceful and fulfilling new year.

Advocacy, Awards and Attitude
Highlights of WCB Pre-Convention Board Meeting
by Rhonda Nelson, Board Member, WCB

Reports of WCB’s recent involvement in two areas of major importance to blind and visually impaired people highlighted the pre-convention Board of Directors meeting held in Kelso on October 24, 2002.

Sue Ammeter read a memo from Deborah Jacobs, Seattle City Librarian, indicating that the Library will be filling the position of Director of the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library. This represented a very positive change from what had previuosly been announced. It was due in large part to a collaborative effort between the Washington Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind of Washington, in which both organizations stressed in a written statement and in substantive discussions with Seattle City Library staff the extreme importance of the director position being filled.

WCB President Berl Colley and Environmental Access Committee Chair Lynette Romero reported on our organization’s work in support of pedestrian safety issues. On October 8, 2002, 21 WCB members attended an Access Board hearing in Portland, Oregon, where public comments were taken on proposed guidelines for accessible pedestrian rights-of-way. Three members provided strong, effective oral testimony that day, and WCB as an organization and several members individually submitted written comments. WCB’s written statement emphasized the importance of accessible pedestrian signals, tactile warnings, and way finding mechanisms.

The WCB board approved grant requests in the amount of $2,646.46 to the Louis Braille Center and $7,500 to Arts and Visually Impaired Audiences (AVIA). The Louis Braille Center grant was to support the purchase of a new computer and software, and the AVIA grant was to assist with a program in which blind and visually impaired people attend audio-described theater events. The Board also supported, and sent to the business meeting for membership approval, a member’s request that WCB donate $1,800 to the Braille Revival League to assist with publication of The Braille Memorandum.

In another type of award, in recognition of WCB members’ appreciation of and fondness for retired Jan Ames, our Board honored her with a life membership in the American Council of the Blind.

The above, along with various other reports and business, got our weekend off to a great start. With an attitude of enthusiasm and anticipation, we continued on from the pre-convention Board meeting to a fabulous 2002 convention.

Impressions of a "First-Timer"
by Doug Hildie, President
United Blind of Seattle

Several years ago, I joined the United Blind of Seattle (UBS), thus the Washington Council of the Blind (WCB). My motivation was to become a contributing member of an organization which I respect for its humanity, and a membership comprised of individuals I appreciate. Also, I sought the camaraderie of people with whom I share similar interests and objectives.

I was not disappointed. Membership proved to be a positive experience in all respects, particularly at the chapter level, where my energy was generally focused.

Soon the year 2002 was upon us, and I had not yet attended a WCB statewide convention. It seemed that the time to do so had arrived. It was time to learn what WCB’s convention was all about, why other members were so enthusiastic, and to "broaden my horizons."

As an incentive, WCB offered members who had not previously attended the state convention to do so at its expense by applying for financial assistance as a "first-timer." The possibility of receiving free money was, of course, irrestistible! But the truth is, I would have gone anyway, and the experience did "broaden my horizons" regarding the value of the WCB state convention for all of its members.

I have attended organizational conventions and similar large gatherings. Usually, their scope was national. Some were regional. The WCB state convention was not unlike other organizational conventions I had participated in, but none of them were as "friendly." That is how I would categorize my first WCB convention. It was like a group of friends at a family reunion. There was serious business, as in any convention, but there was also camaraderie.

In some conventions of seemingly like-minded people, there is a kind of pervasive tension. Not so at the WCB convention. It was a worthwhile experience, which I recommend highly to all other "first timers."

Introducing WCB's Newest Chapter
by Sally Mayo, Vice President
Yakima Valley Council of the Blind

I am writing to introduce the Washington Council of the Blind to its newest chapter, the Yakima Valley Council of the Blind. Forming this chapter did not happen overnight. Some of the founding members had tossed the idea around for the last four or five years. Finally, we got ourselves, the backing, and the necessary paperwork together to make it a reality.

The goal of our chapter is to educate all sections of the public on the issues surrounding blindness and visual impairment. We will also serve as a resource to our community with information on agencies and organizations serving the blind, the ADA, guide dog etiquette, Layla’s Law, and other helpful information.

Currently we have 10 members. There is a general meeting eight times a year. The Board meets four times a year. The meetings are held at Nob Hill Lanes the first Wednesday of each month at 11:00am.

Our president, Bill Smedley, works for Guide Dogs for the Blind as the Washington State representative. Bill, a guide dog user, has been blind for 26 years. He received most of his O&M training in Southern California. He has been married for 33 years to his lovely wife Nancy. They have two children and seven grandchildren.

I am Vice-President, I have been legally blind for 10 years, and work part-time for the Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas counties. I too am a guide dog user. I have my Masters in counseling, and have been married for 24 years, with three children and five grandchildren.

Laura Beigh, another guide dog user, is our Secretary. Laura, who is legally blind, has a Bachelor’s in social work. She volunteers for several agencies in town. She is a single mom with two children.

Our Treasurer is Howard Underwood. He has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. Although Howard does not have a visual disability, he struggles with MS and knows well the challenges a disabled person faces every day. Howard is married, with two children and no grandchildren yet.

Jan Baumbach, who is legally blind, is the Public Relations Chair. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. She is married and has three children and one grandchild.

Even before our acceptance as an official chapter of the Washington Council of the Blind, several of our members were hard at work making changes in our community. As a result of our efforts, the Yakima City Council adopted Layla’s Law as part of its municipal code. The City of Yakima was persuaded to install the Chirps and Beeps Auditory Cues system at downtown street crossings, with plans to expand this system as funding is available.

Informational trainings on how to work with visually impaired persons and service animals have been given to Yakima city transit workers. Plans are now in the works for an in-service on Layla’s Law to be given to the Yakima City Police Department.

All our efforts are geared toward educating the improving the lives not only of the blind or visually impaired, but also the community as a whole. We look forward to a long association with the Washington Council of the Blind.

WCB Honors Scholastic Achievement
by Denise Colley, Scholarship Chair

Once again this year, as we do annually, the membership of the Washington Council of the Blind had the privilege of playing a vital part in the awarding of $20,000 in scholarships to highly qualified and motivated blind and visually impaired college students. Seven students from around the state were selected as this year’s scholarship recipients and received their awards at the WCB convention, held this year in Kelso.

The festivities began with the reception for the winners, prior to the banquet. This reception provides WCB members and friends with an opportunity to meet and talk with the students on a more informal basis.

Again this year, it was WCB members and friends who helped to make the reception another huge success. As always, this year’s winners came from diverse backgrounds and are venturing into vastly different professions.

Elizabeth Rainey is a 2001 graduate of the Washington State School for the Blind. She is attending Clark College and plans to begin working toward a degree in vocal performance. One of the things she is known for is her performance of the National Anthem, which we all had the privilege of hearing at the banquet. She says that she plans to minor in writing or psychology so that, if she cannot readily find a job as a musician, she will have other options. She says she hopes that the career she chooses will be a positive reflection on her

religious community, herself and her family, and the blind community as a whole. Elizabeth was awarded a scholarship in the amount of $2,000.

Kelly Sullivan is a returning scholarship winner, having received a WCB scholarship in 2001. She is beginning her second year at the University of Washington, where she is interested in majoring in social work, English, or the law. She says the key to her education and life is to be able to acquire the tools and skills to proceed in obtaining her goals. Kelly was awarded a scholarship in the amount of $2,000.

Mariann Federspiel is beginning her junior year at Eastern Washington University, where she is working toward a BA degree in Special Education, with an endorsement in General Education. She says that after earning a teaching certificate, she will be qualified to work in both fields. She says in a time when mainstreaming is encouraged, her degree will be highly marketable, which will allow her many options while seeking employment. Mariann received a scholarship in the amount of $2,500.

Jerry House is also a returning WCB scholarship winner, having received scholarship awards in 2000 and 2001. Jerry successfully completed his BA degree in Human Services, and graduated magna cum laude from Western Washington University on June 15th of this year. He was accepted to the graduate school at Western, and began working toward his Master of Arts degree in Rehabilitation Counseling in September.

His ultimate goal is to work as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind. He says the scholarship would allow him to purchase a new computer and a better monitor to accommodate his increasing vision loss. It would also help him meet transportation and other high costs associated with graduate school. Jerry received a scholarship in the amount of $2,500.

Audrey Jolley is beginning her sophomore year at Lower Columbia Community College, and will graduate in June, 2003, with an AA degree in Humanities. From there she plans to continue her education at Washington State University in Vancouver, where she wants to earn a BA degree in Social Services. She says her ultimate goal is to become a Disabled Student Services Coordinator in a higher education setting, because there is a shortage of experienced individuals to assist students like herself in this field. Audrey was awarded a scholarship in the amount of $3,500.

Alex Jones is an entering freshman at the University of Washington, majoring in psychology or education. He says he applied for the scholarship for no other reason than his desire to continue his education in college.

During academic year 1998-99, he received the Student of the Year Award, the highest honor possible in the school. During high school, he was active in sailing, and his team competed in the Mallory Cup three years in a row, winning the district qualifiers. Alex was awarded a $3,500 scholarship.

Stephanie Mellor is an entering freshman at Eastern Washington University, majoring in Education. She plans to graduate from Eastern with a teaching certificate, and then move on to a university with a Vision Specialist Program, so that she can make her dream come true of working with blind children.

During the summer of her sophomore year of high school, Stephanie was involved in the Youth Employment Solutions Program. She now works with the DO-IT Program at the University of Washington, where she gives presentations to elementary school students about blindness, braille, and the technology that blind students use at school. Stephanie was awarded a scholarship in the amount of $4,000.

This year, for the first time, the WCB had the privilege of awarding two new scholarships, sponsored by the Vehicle Donation Processing Center. They have committed to funding two $2,500 educational scholarships, one for a male and one for a female, for the next three years. Mariann Federspiel and Jerry House were this year’s recipients. Thank you to John Learned and the Vehicle Donation Processing Center.

Another successful scholarship year is behind us, and as always, I want to acknowledge the members of this year’s Scholarship Committee for all the long hours they spent reviewing and rating applications and interview information.

I would also like to acknowledge the WCB, the Capital City Council of the Blind, the United Blind of Spokane, and the Peninsula Council of the Blind for their financial contributions toward this year’s scholarship efforts. It is all of us working together that makes each year’s scholarship program a bigger success for more students.

Thank you everyone.

Where Shall We Go Today?
by Cathy Drake

What I've Learned
by Cynthia Towers,
United Blind of Seattle & ACB Convention Coordinator

I have had the opportunity to be invited to speak at two state conventions over the past few months. First, I went to the Tennessee Council of the Blind state convention this past August, and most recently, I attended the American Council of the Blind of Ohio’s state convention in early November. It is wonderful to see how strong state affiliates are and to meet such dedicated people.

I am going to share a bit with you of a seminar I conducted in Ohio on self-esteem/self advocacy. I felt it was a successful venture and the participants seemed to glean a lot from the discussions. They will be able to use what they learned in their day-to-day interactions with others. With the permission and blessing of Glen Singleton, an educator who has been conducting diversity workshops for the Seattle School District, I have modified his Four Agreements on discussion about race (there is also a book by that title) to adapt them for our needs.

Agreement One: Stay engaged - it is so easy to give up, to not have to explain just one more time why, "No I’m not glad I don’t drive," or why it appears that I’m so good at memorizing numbers, or my personal favorite, "Why do I dress up if I am just going to a convention of blind people." As annoying and angering as comments such as these are, we need to stay the course. If you do not believe that things will get better within your lifetime - then they won’t. We all need to start laying the foundation for improved times ahead for those who will come after us. As Dr. King once said, "If I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree."

Agreement Two: Experience Discomfort - It is not easy to always have to explain our blindness (like it’s anybody’s business), how we accomplish tasks, get around town, do our jobs, care for our families and the like. After all, the mainstream public does not come under such scrutiny. You are only human and field a tremendous number of questions and comments on a regular basis. I always remember being a child and anxious to be an adult, because then I would have all the answers and would not be plagued by uncomfortable inquiries any more. Well, now I know how wrong I was. When you get that pit in your stomach, try to remain as non-emotional as you can. When you respond in anger or anguish, all people hear is the raw emotion. Remember, communication is 30% verbal and 70% non-verbal.

Agreement Three: Speak Your Truth - We can sometimes get into too many distinctions. There are the totals, the high partials, the low partials, the dog users, the cane users, the braille and large print readers, and a very small percentage of us even drive. What is true for me in terms of what I view as a hardship with regard to whatever level of sight I have is my reality. We are too small and there is too much work to do. In my profession, the kindergarten teacher has as much to say and contribute as the high school chemistry teacher. We all unite for a common good and do not pick apart the level at which each of us is teaching. I have seen some amazing things happen in this organization when we all band together. Pedestrian safety, descriptive video, accessible voting, jobs being opened up to us - the list goes on and on. Let us continue to judge one another by the content of our characters and not by the acuity of our vision.

Agreement Four: Accept and Expect Non-Closure - well, at least for now. Just as a doctor does not cure every patient, or a lawyer does not win every case. so it is with us. We will not convert every sighted person to being able to understand the many facets of the blind and partially sighted. We will not be able to convince everyone that having little or no vision is not the end of the world, or that color is important to us, or that the garage came with the house, so that’s why we have one. (I usually tell people that the blind houses on the real estate market were all taken.)

In our quest to gain equality, independence and opportunity, we must reach out to others when we need our blind batteries recharged, stand up for what we believe in, keep up with new technologies and other arenas that will level the playing field, speak up for ourselves, move up in the organization when the time is right and catch up on the latest issues.

But whatever you do in the blindness community or outside of it - never give up!

The Rehabilitation Council - Whose Information Highway Will it Be?
by Carl Jarvis, President
Jefferson County Council of the Blind

In theory, mass transit is the ultimate solution to our traffic woes. But it is only effective if the masses choose to use it. Otherwise, it remains just another pretty theory. The same may be true for the Rehabilitation Council for the Department of Services for the Blind.

The Rehabilitation Council exists for the purpose of ensuring "that persons who are blind in the state of Washington receive the most efficient and effective services possible." It is also the purpose of the council "to provide direct public and consumer guidance to the Director of Services for the Blind." Also, "where appropriate, to advise or report directly to the Governor, and to make recommendations to the state Legislature to promote efficient and effective services." And finally, "to enhance services, and opportunities and rights of Washingtonians who are blind by working closely with other state councils, state agencies and state organizations..."

Although the Rehabilitation Council is advisory in nature it has broad duties and responsibilities to assist in achieving its purpose. Meeting on a quarterly basis with the Department Director and, in partnership with the Department, the Council "reviews, analyzes, develops, makes recommendations, and agrees to the Department’s state plan, goals and activities, budget requests, permanent rules concerning services for the blind, and major policies..." We will not outline the entire list here, but we do want to underscore one additional responsibility. "The Rehabilitation Council shall prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor and the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration on the status of vocational rehabilitation programs. The report should be made available to the public."

Like mass transit, the Rehabilitation Council is in the moving business, carrying information, recommendations and concerns back and forth between the public and consumers, Department Director, the Governor, the Legislature, and the RSA Commissioner.

In theory the Rehabilitation Council should be a free-flowing exchange of information, assisting the Director and Department in improving the quality of programs and services. Toward this end, the Federal Government has established requirements ensuring broad public representation on the Council. The members have been expanded from 10 to a minimum of 16, plus the Department Director serving as an ex officio, non-voting member.

As the Rehabilitation Council changed and expanded over recent years, there has been a growing concern within the blind community that this expansion, rather than increasing the flow of information, is having quite the opposite effect. As new members are sought, representing areas such as labor, business and industry, it becomes increasingly more difficult to find individuals who are themselves blind, or have knowledge of blind affairs. Instead of free-flowing information, the Rehabilitation Council must spend a greater portion of its time in educating its members. In this area, the Department does a good job. Program managers and staff provide at each Council meeting in-depth looks into their programs and activities. They walk members through the complexities of the state budget and state plan, and explore innovative/creative plans for future services.

What is missing is a most critical element. Without it the Rehabilitation Council has no ability to fulfill its purpose. What the Council members are missing is the on-going education about blindness; its culture; its history; its struggle for equality. Without this backdrop, how can the Council possibly determine which services and programs are most efficient and effective for blind Washingtonians?

Who better to provide this education and training to the Council members than us, the Organized Blind? It is we who are living it day by day. It is our history, sharing setbacks and victories. We are the ones who will be affected by the Department’s future policies and programs. And we are the ones who must plan how to provide this education to the Council members. Through the Council we have direct access to the Director and the Department.

If there is to be a bright tomorrow for blind people, they need our collective wisdom.

WCB Voice Heard at Accessibility Board Hearing
by Becky Bell, Vice-President, King County Chapter

On Tuesday, October 8, 2002, 21 members of the Washington Council of the Blind attended the Architectural Transportation Barriers Compliance Board hearing in Portland, Oregon at the Hilton Hotel. The hearing began at approximately 8:30am and continued until 4:30pm, with a planned reception.

Our WCB group stayed until noon, then headed back to Seattle, stopping to enjoy a lunch along the way.

Groups from many states participated, in addition to WCB. California Council of the Blind, Oregon Council of the Blind, National Federation of the Blind and many others, including Mitch Pomerantz, representing American Council of the Blind National Office, Washington, D.C.

Berl Colley, WCB State President, and two WCB members, Cindy Burgett and Glen McCully, spoke on our behalf. Speeches highlighted information with diverse opinions. The presentation of different ideas gave us confidence and encouraged us to challenge and explore progressive and helpful ways to improve our rights for access to our environment concerning street crossings, traffic signals and attention to structural barriers. WCB urged the board to make accessible rights-of-way for all blind and visually challenged individuals to enable better mobility and safety. WCB’s position is clearly stated in the following letter submitted to the Accessibility Board.

In March, 2003, the results of the Accessibility Board hearings will be known. Our voice was heard. We were successfully represented. It was an interesting and productive experience for each member of WCB.

Washington Council of the Blind
Statement of Concurrence to
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
(Access Board)
Draft Guidelines on Public
Rights-of-Way
36 CFR Parts 1190 and 1191
[Docket No. 02-1] RIN 3014-AA26
Published in the Federal Register June 17, 2002

The Washington Council of the Blind (WCB), PO Box 6996, Kennewick, WA 99336, an affiliate member of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and one of Washington State’s premier grassroots consumer-based organizations, agrees with the findings and proposed guidelines set forth by the Access Board in regard to accessible public rights-of-way. WCB is committed to making all public areas accessible to people with disabilities, especially those who are blind and visually impaired.

Although WCB agrees with the majority of the recommendations of the report, three areas of particular interest to blind and visually impaired persons will predominate this written commentary. They include accessible pedestrian signals (APS), tactile warnings, and way finding mechanisms. WCB supports all of the above named issues and herein has outlined its position statement for each.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees the right to the access of information to people who are disabled. APS devices convey the same information received by sighted pedestrians from the walk/don’t walk signals and street signs to blind and visually impaired persons in an accessible format. If sighted pedestrians are assumed to be safer by the use of such information, then it should be equally obvious that blind pedestrians will also benefit from this information. Some blind individuals and organizations will contend that quality orientation and mobility skills are all that is necessary to safely traverse an intersection. WCB agrees with the premise that mastery of good orientation and mobility skills is paramount to the safety of all blind travelers. The installation of APS equipment is not intended to replace mobility skills training. They are intended to provide usable information to assist blind pedestrians in the decision-making process as they determine when it is safe to cross.

In a superlative situation where all blind persons had identical impairments; equal mobility skills; and where all intersections were of the traditional four-corner-plus design; a reasonable argument could exist to delay the installation of APS devices. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is much different than this imaginary proposition. Many in the blind community have additional conditions that can impair their mobility. Afflictions associated with age, physical disabilities, and partial or total hearing loss affect a large percentage of the population. The volume of traffic on our roads and the complexity of intersections have increased exponentially over the past few years. The convergence of three or four main arterials at a single intersection is now commonplace. In many cases, it is no longer possible for blind pedestrians to reliably determine when the walk signal is activated by using the sound of traffic flow. Deaf-blind persons are unable to use traffic cues even at ideal intersections.

Detectable warning strips are essential along train and subway platforms. In these areas oncoming trains push air currents into odd patterns, and the noise of the trains, along with crowds of people, alter one’s ability to judge distances. Detectable warnings can and do save lives. They are not only intended to add an extra level of safety for blind travelers, but for those who are sighted, as well.

At crosswalks detectable warnings in curb cuts give an extra level of protection to blind individuals who may accidentally travel into the line of traffic without being aware of it. Given the gradual slope of many curb cuts in use today, WCB recommends the adoption of guidelines for the placement of some type of detectable warnings at crosswalk curb cuts. These are especially important in locations where the curb cut is not aligned with the crosswalk.

Way finding systems are also important for visually impaired persons, especially in large, open areas and parking lots. These systems also help to indicate proper travel directions to reach doorways and other public facilities. These systems provide the blind with directional information to assist them in making safe travel decisions. WCB supports the use of way finding systems and encourages the board to investigate and use both high-tech and low-tech way finding systems. Way finding systems are especially important when more conventional methods of detecting one’s direction, such as using the sun, are not available.

WCB strives to improve the well-being of all blind and visually impaired people and asks the Access Board to remember that people with vision loss come from many different backgrounds with varying degrees of educational experience, and they do not have the same level of proficiency in orientation and mobility skills. Therefore, WCB asks that the Draft Guidelines on Public Rights-of-Way be adopted to enable and ensure the safety of all citizens. Please do not wait for another person to be needlessly injured or killed.

WCB is saddened when any pedestrian suffers from injuries that are preventable. The Washington Council of the Blind believes these targets can be greatly reduced, and implores the Board to take action before another blind person is killed needlessly.

Washington State Department of Services for the Blind
by Bill Palmer, Director

Part 2 (for Part 1 of this article, see September 2002 issue)

Independent Living Program Expanded: The DSB Independent Living Program serves people who are not seeking employment, but wish to learn how to live independently as a blind person. The program is operated through private contractors situated around the state. These contractors travel to their customers’ homes, providing them with blindness skills training, counseling in adjusting to blindness, and supplying some adaptive aids. In the past year, we have expanded the program from six to eight contractors. This has allowed us to serve more people and reduce travel costs for some of the contractors.

The Edith Bishel Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Kennewick is now serving the blind citizens of Franklin, Benton, Yakima, Walla Walla, and Columbia counties. Edith Bishel has been contracting with DSB since November 2001. Between November and June 2002, Edith Bishel served 105 people. Sheila Turner is Edith Bishel’s independent living specialist. Among other things, she brings to the position the assets of being a capable blind person herself, and a Spanish speaker. By serving the five counties, Edith Bishel has relieved the Lilac Blind Foundation of having to serve the entire east side of the state, allowing Lilac to deliver more direct service by reducing its travel time. The Edith Bishel Center can be reached by phone at (509) 735-0699 or toll free at 1-800-662-9226. Their email address is ebcenter@bmi.net and their Website URL address is www.bmi.net/ebcenter

Marjorie Corier is now serving a portion of southwest Washington encompassed by Thurston, Lewis, Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. Margie began contracting with the independent living program in July 2002. Margie is pursuing her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Teaching from Western Michigan University. She brings the assets of professional education and her own experience as a capable blind person. Margie is taking a portion of the territories previously covered by three contractors. This will allow the three contractors to focus the same amount of service on a smaller geographic area. We expect this change to improve services, which will result in better circumstances for our current contractors as well as the growing older population that we serve. Margie can be reached by phone at (360) 493-1372 or by email at tcorier@juno.com

Denise Massey Smith served the northwest part of the state for nearly five years. In May 2002, she left the program to pursue other career interests. She was a great asset to the program and will be missed. We searched to find a new contractor and found Miriam Mimi Freshley. Mimi comes to the program with a wealth of experience in the counseling field. While Mimi has not worked in the blindness field, she has a sister who is blind. Recognizing her need for training, Mimi has spent a great deal of time training with Kevin Nathan and our Orientation and Training Center staff. She assumed responsibility for the independent living contract in Whatcom, San Juan, and Island counties in September. Mimi can be reached by phone at (360) 922-0004 or by email at mimif58@yahoo.com

One gap that we have recognized in our older blind program is the lack of opportunity for intensive instruction in blindness skills. Persons who are vocational rehabilitation customers can get six to nine months of full-time blindness skills training from our Orientation and Training Center, but we have nothing comparable for our independent living customers. We tried an experiment this year, traveling to a community and offering a week of full-time blindness skills training to seniors. With the assistance of the local support group in Aberdeen, we held our first Seniors Week in June 2002. The training was warmly received by the community and participants. Carl and Cathy Jarvis, Margie Corier, and Amelia Sahentara assisted DSB Independent Living Program Coordinator Kevin Nathan in teaching the group of nine seniors. The program was a big hit and made the front page of the Aberdeen newspaper. We hope to repeat Seniors Week in other areas of the state as funds permit.

DSB has been able to increase the number of people served by the Independent Living Program by 11.8 percent in the past year. We served 1,567 people during the period of July 2000 to June 2001 and 1,752 for the period from July 2001 to June 2002. Ninety-five percent of those served were able to maintain or increase their independence.

Much of the increased service we have provided is due to an increased financial commitment to the Independent Living Program by Congress and DSB in the last two years. The budget for the program has increased by over $230,000 in the last two fiscal years. We are hopeful that Congress will continue to appropriate more money for the independent living program for older blind individuals.

WTBBL Update
by Maryte Racy, Managing Librarian

As a result of a review of the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library conducted by Seattle Public Library’s Neighborhood Libraries Director Claudia McCain, SPL management has announced that WTBBL’s Executive Director position will not be eliminated. WTBBL will once again become a division of the city library system, rather than remaining as a branch library under the Division of Neighborhood Libraries, which had been the situation since August 20th when Jan Ames announced her retirement. Ms. McCain has been managing Special Services (WTBBL and the Bookmobile); I have been acting as WTBBL Interim Director.

Deborah Jacobs, City Librarian, has recently appointed librarian Gloria Leonard as WTBBL’s Acting Director, effective December 2, until a permanent director can be hired. Ms. Leonard has served as an administrator in various capacities at Seattle Public Library, including eight years as a managing librarian in Mobile Services.

The national search for a new WTBBL director began in mid-November, with hopes that the position will be filled by the end of April 2003. Qualifications required include a Master’s level degree in Library Science, while experience with one of the national network libraries for the blind and physically handicapped will be considered a definite asset.

WTBBL staff will do their utmost to ensure that library users feel no change in the quality of service they receive during these transitional months. We have all made Jan Ames’ high standards our own, and are striving to continue to deliver books, machines, programming and information in a timely and responsive manner. If you have questions, please contact me at (206) 615-0412.

Washington State School for the Blind
by Dr. Dean O. Stenehjem, Superintendent